San Francisco’s rebellious new wave label 415 Records is coming back, thanks to the newly formed Rhino Records offshoot Liberation Hall. As explained by Conqueroo Publicity founder Cary Baker in a recent press release, 415 started in the late 1970s with local bands such as SVT, The Uptones, and Pop-O-Pies. From a Chicago perspective, I remember 415 best for its 1981 release of Romeo Void’s Never Say Never EP. It was the coolest thing I could play in the Mom and Pop record store I worked at in the Ford City Shopping Mall, and it was in heavy rotation at WXRT and at every club I went to back then.
The first of the reignited 415 releases has already arrived in the form of an expanded version of a various artists compilation that originally came out in 1978. Still Disturbing The Peace a.k.a. The Past Is Present features songs by Pearl Harbor and The Explosions; Red Rockers; The Offs; The Imposters; Renegades; and New Math. Upcoming releases include the long out-of-print No Regrets by SVT; Get Outta My Way by the ska band The Uptones; and San Francisco: Mostly Live by punk outfit The Readymades. Baker noted that the re-issued 415 albums will be from before the label signed a distribution deal with Columbia Records.
Long-time followers of Chicago’s alternative rock scene recognize Hugh Hart as being the driving force behind the bands Huge Hart, Wedge, and The OD’d. He’s also had a successful career in journalism that includes writing for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. Previous songs like “Idolizer” and “They Just Keep Coming On” artfully combined Hart’s two passions in the form of catchy tunes with topical lyrics.
The recently released “Bye Bye Donny” finds him taking a more vigorous lyrical approach while keeping things danceable. Hart released an earlier version of this song a few years back but has updated his series of quick rhymes with references to Black Lives Matter, immigration, and the pandemic. With help from J.D. Dragus on guitar, the fun but bitter “Bye Bye Donny” is reminiscent of Devo.
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